5. Freedom of Action
5. 行動的自由
As man grows through the inner life, so he feels a freedom of thought, speech and action which comes as a natural course through his spiritual journey. And the reason why this Freedom comes and whence it comes can be explained by the fact that there is a spirit of freedom hidden within man, covered by outward conventionalities. When man grows out of the outward conventionalities, then the spirit of freedom, which was closed in so far, becomes manifest.
隨著人藉由內在生活而成長，他會在思想、言語與行動上感到一種自由，這自由是他靈性旅程中自然產生的結果。而這種自由為何而來、又從何而來，可以用這樣一個事實來說明：在人裡面隱藏著一種自由的精神，只是被外在的慣例與俗成規範覆蓋住了。當人從這些外在慣俗中成長出來，那先前被關閉起來的自由精神便會顯現出來。
The laws given to humanity are given by those far from such laws, the eIder ones. As for children, certain laws, certain rules are necessary, so those who have not yet evolved to look at life from the higher point of view are fixed under certain laws which are taught to them as religion; and these are as necessary for mankind as the rules given to the children in the home. If there were no rules given, the children would become unruly; but when the children become grown-up, then they begin to see For themselves the reason why rules were given to them and the benefit that these rules were to them; then they can make such rules for themselves as suit them best.
賜給人類的律法，是由那些早已超越這些律法的長者所給予的。就像對孩子而言，某些律法、某些規矩是必要的一樣，那些尚未進化到能從較高觀點看待生命的人，也必須被置於某些律法之下，而這些律法以「宗教」的形式教導給他們。對人類來說，這些律法就像家庭裡給孩子的規矩一樣必要。如果完全不給規矩，孩子就會變得不受管束；但當孩子長大成人之後，他便開始自己看見，當初為何要給他這些規矩，以及這些規矩為他帶來了什麼益處；到了那時，他就能為自己訂立最適合自己的規則。
The inner life helps a soul to grow up; when the soul evolves from subjection to mastery, then it makes rules for itself. In the East, therefore, no one tries to criticize a spiritual person; no one stands up to judge his action or to accuse him of something which he himself calls wrong. For this reason Jesus Christ has said, “Judge not.” But this teaching has been given to point out that “judge not” applies to your equal; for the one who is still more advanced no one can judge.
內在生活幫助靈魂成熟；當靈魂從「受制於人」進化到「成為主人」時，它便會為自己立法。因此，在東方，沒有人會試圖批評一位靈性之人；沒有人會站出來審判他的行為，或指責他做了連他自己都稱之為錯的事。基於同樣的理由，耶穌基督說：「不要論斷。」而這條教導的用意，是指出「不要論斷」是用在你的同儕身上的；至於那比你更為進一步的人，則沒有任何人有資格論斷他。
When man has the tendency to judge one more advanced than himself, the consequence is that spiritual advancement deteriorates; because however advanced he may be those who have not yet advanced pull him down. Therefore humanity, instead of going forward, goes backward.
當人開始有一種傾向，想要論斷那個比自己更為進一步的人，其結果就是靈性的推進會因此受損；因為無論那個人多麼先進，尚未進步的人總是會將他拉下來。於是，人類非但沒有向前，反而往後退。
What happened in the case of Jesus Christ? He was judged. The liberated soul, the soul which was made free by divine nature, was judged at the court of man. The less advanced men considered themselves sufficiently learned to judge Christ, and not only to judge, but to give sentence. In whatever period of civilization, therefore, the tendency has shown itself to judge the one who is advanced, there has always come a collapse of the whole civilization.
耶穌基督的情況如何呢？他被審判了。那個已獲自由的靈魂——被神性釋放出來的靈魂——竟然被拉到人間的法庭受審。那些靈性較不進步的人，自以為學問足夠，可以來審判基督，而且不只審判，還要對他下判決。因此，凡是在任何一個文明時期，只要出現一種傾向，要去審判那個走在前頭的人，那個文明最終就走向崩解。
Sarmad, a great Sufi saint who lived in Gwalior, was asked by the Emperor Aurangzeb to attend the mosque, for it was against the rules of the time that anyone kept away from the regular prayers, which took place in the mosque of the State. Sarmad, being a man of ecstasy, living every moment of his day and night in union with God, being God-conscious himself, perhaps forgot or refused. A certain time of prayer or a certain place for prayer to him was nothing; every place to him was a place of prayer; every time was a time of prayer; his every breath was a prayer. As he refused to attend prayers he was beheaded for breaking the rules which were made for everyone. The consequence was that the Mogul Empire declined and its downfall can be dated from that time; the entire Mogul civilization, unique in its period, fell to pieces.
Sarmad 是一位偉大的蘇菲聖人，曾住在 Gwalior。當時的皇帝 Aurangzeb 命令他到清真寺參與禮拜，因為在那個時代的規定裡，任何人若缺席國家清真寺中的定期禮拜都是違規的。Sarmad 是一個活在狂喜中的人，日夜每一刻都活在與神的合一之中，他自身長久處於對神的覺知裡，或許他是忘記了、也或許他是拒絕了。對他來說，指定某個禱告時間或某個禱告地點並無意義；對他而言，每一個地方都是禱告之地，每一刻都是禱告之時，他的每一口呼吸都是祈禱。因為他拒絕出席禮拜，就被斬首，理由是違反了為全體制定的規條。結果，莫臥兒帝國開始衰落，而它的沒落可以從那個時點算起；在當時獨一無二的整個莫臥兒文明，遂而四分五裂。
The Hindus have always known this philosophy, for the reason that they had a perfect religion, a religion in which one aspect of God was characterized as human; and their various Devas are nothing but various characteristics of human nature, each of them adored and worshipped. In this way not only God, but the whole human nature in all its aspects, was adored and worshipped. It is that which makes the Hindu religion perfect. When people say, “This place is sacred, and that other place is not sacred; that particular thing is holy, and all other things not holy,” in this way they divide life into many pieces, the life which is one, the life which cannot be divided.
印度教徒一向明白這樣的哲學，因為他們擁有一種完備的宗教——在這宗教裡，神的一個面向是以人的樣式呈現的；而他們各種 Devas，其實只是人性各種不同特質的象徵，而每一種特質都被崇敬與敬拜。如此一來，不僅是神本身受到敬拜，整個人性在所有層面上也一併被尊崇與敬拜。正是這一點，使印度教成為一個完備的宗教。當人們說：「這個地方是聖地，那個地方就不是；這件事物是神聖的，其他事物都不神聖」，他們就是在把生命切割成許多片段——而生命本是一體、是不可分割的。
Therefore those who rise above the ordinary conventionalities of life by their inner development come to another consciousness. For them worldly laws are the laws for the children. Those who begin to see this difference between the laws they set before themselves and the laws that are observed by mankind, at first sometimes condemn and then disregard the common laws. They criticize them, and ask, “What is it all for?” But those who come to the fuller realization of the inner laws, show respect even for the laws of the children; knowing that they are the laws for the children and not for the grown-up yet they respect them, for they know that it cannot be otherwise. The laws which they know can only manifest to the one whose soul rises to that realization; but before that soul rises it must have some law by which to live in harmony. Therefore advanced souls regard such laws with respect, and observe them when they are in the community. They do not condemn them; they will not criticize them. They realize that harmony is the principal thing in life, and that we cannot be happy through life if we cannot harmonize with all those around us. Whatever be our grade of evolution, whatever be our outlook on life, and whatever be our freedom, we must have regard for the laws of the majority.
因此，那些透過內在成長而超越了生命中一般慣俗的人，會進入另一種意識。對他們而言，世俗的律法是給孩子的律法。那些開始看出「自己為自己立的律法」與「人類普遍遵守的律法」之間差異的人，一開始往往會先譴責、然後忽視這些普通律法。他們批評這些律法，並問：「這一切到底是為了什麼？」然而，那些對內在律法有更全面體認的人，即使對「給孩子的律法」也會表達尊重；他們知道這些律法是給孩子的，而不是給成人的，但仍然尊重它們，因為他們知道目前不能沒有它們。他們所認識的那種律法，只能在那些靈魂已經上升到相應覺悟的人身上顯現；然而在靈魂尚未升起之前，它必須有某種律法，好讓它能在其中與人和諧共處。因此，較為先進的靈魂，對這些律法保有敬意，當他們身處群體之中，也會遵守這些律法。他們不譴責，也不加以批評。他們體認到，和諧是生命中最根本的要素；如果不能與身邊所有人和諧共處，我們便不可能在生命裡真正感到幸福。無論我們的進化層次為何、無論我們看待生命的觀點如何、無論我們擁有多少自由，我們都必須顧及多數人所遵守的律法。
Now the question is, do those who are spiritually advanced have any special conception of morals? Indeed they have; and their morals are great morals, much greater than the average human being can conceive. It is not that by becoming free spiritually from the laws of the generality, they become free from their own laws. They have their own laws to bind them; and these are much higher and much greater laws. No doubt their way of looking at things may be criticized and may not be generally understood. Yet their law is more akin to nature; their laws are in harmony with the spirit. Their laws have their effect as phenomena. And by regarding two morals which are contrary to each other, the morals of the generality and their own morals, they arrive at a plane and a condition where their hands and feet are nailed. That is the symbolical meaning of the nailing of Christ to the cross.
現在的問題是：那些在靈性上更為先進的人，是否有任何特別的道德觀？他們確實有；而且他們的道德，是極大的道德，遠超過一般人所能想像。當他們在靈性上從「大眾的律法」裡得到自由時，並不表示他們也從自己內在的律法裡得到自由。他們有自己的律法來約束自己，而這些律法更高、更大。毫無疑問，他們看待事物的方式，可能會受到批評，也不一定能被普遍理解；然而，他們的律法卻更貼近自然，他們的律法與靈相和。他們的律法會以各種現象顯出其效力。而當他們同時看見兩套彼此相反的道德——一套是大多數人的道德，另一套是他們自己的道德——他們便來到一種境界與狀態，在那裡，他們彷彿手腳都被釘住了。這正是耶穌基督被釘在十字架上的象徵意義。